A performance by alternative rock band Avial and an intercollegiate dance festival will be the highlights of the second edition of Drutha, a cultural meet to be organised by the Government Medical College here from Friday.
The event is chiefly aimed at raising funds for Imprints, a charity initiative of the students’ union of the college that provides free treatment to poor children with blood diseases.
Announcing the details of the five-day meet at a press conference here on Tuesday, its organisers said a sports segment featuring intercollegiate football, volleyball, and basketball matches would be introduced this time. Funds for the event would be raised through sponsorships and donations from individuals who would be given complementary entry passes to the shows, Sajith Kumar, staff adviser of Drutha, said. “We also expect to send the message of charity and the cause of poor blood patients across to the participating colleges through the event,” he said.
Imprints has been a project of the students’ union of the college for the past three years. The forum, which took up free treatment of 45 children with thalassaemia in 2011-12 when it was launched, currently funds the treatment of over 90 children with various diseases, including type-1 diabetes, Wilson’s disease, and pure red cell aplasia, K. Jishad, chairman of the college union and one of the key organisers, said.
Writer and former faculty member of the college Khadeeja Mumtaz, who spoke on the occasion, said the festival would also remember two of her favourite students and college alumni Deepak Thomas and A.S. Irshad, who died during an earthquake in Nepal recently. “We hope that the festival will also grow as a cultural memorial to the two young doctors who left us unexpectedly,” she said.
The festival will begin with a bike stunt event on the college campus on May 15 and culminate with a pro show by Avial on May 19. A number of professional colleges from south India are expected to participate in the event, Mr. Jishad said.
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